Scythe-fastener



G. S. GLOW.

SCYTHE FASTBNER.

Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT- FFICE.

GEORGE S. CLOW', OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

scYTHE-FAsTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 415,265, dated November 19, 1889.

Application filed eptember 2, 1889. Serial No. 322,676. (No model.)

To all wwm, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE'S. CLOW,acitizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Scythe-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of fastenings or couplings for conn'ecting the sn ath or handle of a scythe with the heel of the blade; and the objects of my invention are to provide a simple and durable device of this kind by means of which a rigid and secure couplingor connection of the Scythe blade and handle may be easily and readily made; to so construct the coupling as to admit of the heel of the scythe being adj usted thereon in a horizontal plane; to vary the angle at which the edge of the scythe will strike the grass; to so construct the same as to prevent the necessi'ty of drawing` t-he blade outward through the loop-bolt in effecting the adjustment, and to produce the same in a neat and compact form at a reasonable cost of manufacture. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front or face view of my device, showing the heel 01' tang` of the scythe connected with the fastening device and showing` in dotted lines two different adj ustments of said heel. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same. Fig. is a Vertical longitudinal section taken on line x of Fig. 1; and Fig. at is a side elevation of my improved looking key 01' bolt, shown detached from the coupling.

Similarletters refer to similarparts throughout the several views.

a represents the outer end of the snath or scythe handle,- which may be of the usual form; and b represents the metallic couplingplate, having on. its outer end an upwardlyprojecting band or loop c. That portion of the plate forming the bottom of the loop c is provided, as shown, with a transverse slot, and a bolt-hole is formed in said band at a point vertically opposite the center of said slot. The rear portion of the plate bis thickened downwardly, as shown, in the form of a transverse barrel or tube d. The forward side of this barrel (Z is cut away, as shown, to within a short dist-ance of its ends, thus giving the central portion approximately the appearance, when viewed from the upper or lower side of the plate, of a half-cylindrical body. The rear cut edges of the barrel or tube thus formed are curved slightly inward, as shown, to conform to the curve of and bring them parallel with a cross-piece b', which extends between and is formed with the side arms of the plate b slightly in front and beneath the barrel d.

f represents my improved looking key or bolt, by means of which, as hereinafter described, the heel of the scythe-blade is firmly locked in connection with the coupling-plate. This key, as shown in the drawings, consists of a bolt having formed in two opposite sides oppositely-located rows of notches g. As shown in the drawings, I preferably form on one side of said key three of the notchesg, and upon the other side two notches, the notches of one side being located diametrically oppo- .site the teeth or projections produced in forming the notches on the opposite side. Any desired number of notches may, however, be formed in the key. One end of said key is provided, as shown, with a circular flange h, from which projects outwardly a nut-shaped head h'.

The key f, formed as above described, is inserted within the barrel (Z until the flange 71 bears against the end thereof, while the remaining' end of the key is fiattened or riveted against a washer i, which surrounds the outer projecting end of the key and bears loosely against the corresponding end of the barrel. The rear end of the plate a terminates in a short extension lc.

The coupling-plate is connected with the outer portion of the snath by inserting the end of the latter through the band or loop c in the usual manner. The rear portion of the plate is then rigidly connected with the snaih by means of a screw or bolt pasiing downward through a screw or bolt hole formed in the plate-termination 7:, while the forward end of the snath is fixed within the band c by means of a bolt m, made to extend upwardly through the band bolt hole and plateslot, said bolt having a looped head adapted to rest partially within said plate-slot in the usual manner.

n represents the heel of the blade, which is IOO of the usual form. This heel is inserted through the loop of the bolt m, and, resting upon the plate a, has its downturned end rest-ing within the desired one of the keynotches g and bearing between the frame cross-piece b' and said key. The nut m' on the end of the bolt m being tightened until the blade-heel is pressed by the bolt-loop firmly against the plate, it will be seen that it will be impossible for the blade-heel end to escape from its position within the keynoteh by being elevated therefrom. It will also be observed that the heel end, being made to fit snugly within the key-noteh, any

tendency of the former to move laterally will be obviated.

It being desired to change the angle of the blade, this may readily be aceomplished by loosening the nut fm' sufficiently to admit of the elevation of the heel end and the latter being moved laterally and dropped into the desired one of the notches, in which it may be Seeured by again tightening the nut m'. In case the desired angle cannot be obtained by the notches on one side of the key, the latter may be turned a 'half-revolution and the heel end dropped into one of the new notches thus presented.

Owing to the cnrve of the space between the key tube or barrel and the plate crosspiece, it Will be seen that the movement of the heel end Will be in the are of a oirele during adj ustment and Will not be retarded.

I am aware that seythe-fasteners have been made and used heretofore, and that the method of connecting the plate and blade heel by a loop-bolt is substantially the same, and that plates have been used wherein openings or sockets have been formed for the reception of the heel end; but my invention differs from these in the method and means of looking and adj Listing the blade-heel.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a scythe-fastener, the combination, with a coupling-plate Z), having a snath socket or band, half-tubular projeetion d, and platel GEORGE S. CLOW.

In presence of- BAR'roN GRIFFITH, O. O. 'SHEPHEBD 

